‘Station 19’ Star Danielle Savre Talks ‘Pressure’ of Directing TV for the First Time: ‘The Scope of the Script Is Huge’

“Station 19” star Danielle Savre went through vigorous training before landing her first directing job on the ABC drama series. Still, she admits to having sleepless nights while working to make the episode as perfect as it read on the page.

“It was daunting at first when I read the script, because the scope of the script is huge,” Savre told TheWrap. “It’s a huge incident. Everyone has big emotions, and huge story points are being told that are going to play out in the next two episodes after mine. So if I didn’t get this right, I basically was not helping set up the [finale]… But I do very well under pressure.”

Thursday’s new episode, titled “Dirty Laundry,” follows as the Station 19 crew responds to a tragic pileup accident on a busy road. Meanwhile, Andy (Jaina Lee Ortiz) hopes to convince Natasha (Merle Dandridge) to not give up fighting to keep her job as Seattle fire chief after her secret relationship with Robert (Boris Kodjoe) came to light.

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To top it all, disgraced captain Beckett (Josh Randall) returned from a brief break — brought on after his drinking on the job led to the death of another firefighter — and claimed to be all better after some therapy and time away. But Vic (Barrett Doss), who is training to become a therapist, senses trouble hiding underneath.

For Savre, stepping into the director’s chair has been a goal for years. She credited the support of Shondaland, the Shonda Rhimes-run production company behind “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Station 19,” for encouraging her development as a director. The five-year journey included shadowing 12 directors, among them “Grey’s Anatomy” actor Kevin McKidd, a frequent director on the flagship ABC medical drama. She also directed the 2021 short film “HEaRD.”

“I know other shows that will refuse to let any actors direct, but I think that Shondaland sees the value in actors who are on the show directing, because we’re so in tune with what the show is,” Savre said. “So, you get on set and you get the show better than a director that’s gonna come in and has never been on it before — even though we have some fantastic guest directors.

“But at least from the actor standpoint, we do add a flavor and an aspect of the show that guest directors won’t have because we’re here on set day in and day out.”

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With outdoor shoots dependent on proper lighting, overseeing the building of an exact replica of a hospital room set from “Grey’s Anatomy” and juggling her own acting during the episode, Savre said advice from previous “Station 19” director Kelly Park stayed front of mind throughout production, “just be like water.”

“There’s so many moving pieces and factors that are out of your control on the day, and all you can do is be as prepared as possible and as definitive as possible when people ask questions,” Savre said. “I really had to just go with the flow and not fight against the changes that happened.”

“Station 19” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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